Kaylee Goodwin credits pegvaliase for changing her life — including her engagement. “It’s to the point where I don’t even think I have PKU anymore,” she says.

Kaylee Goodwin, 29, has struggled her whole life to control her blood levels of “phe” — the amino acid known as phenylalanine. “I was told that if my levels were controlled, I would be able to think more clearly and feel better overall,” she says.

Goodwin was born with phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic metabolic disorder affecting roughly 1 in 16,000 newborns. Her body can’t break down phe because of a genetic mutation disabling the necessary enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH).

If left untreated, phe accumulates in the brain, causing intellectual disability and seizures. But starting in the early 1960s, newborn screening programs have been able to test for PKU. Goodwin tested positive and was prescribed a special phe-free diet by Harvey Levy, MD, at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Through the diet, Goodwin has dodged serious brain damage and was able to attend college and start a career as a dancer and actress. But because phe is in nearly all naturally occurring proteins, she couldn’t eat meat, eggs, dairy products, legumes, most grains and many fruits and vegetables. Instead, she had to consume a foul-tasting amino acid formula.

“I spent my entire life carrying special foods and medical formula around with me, and weighing and measuring foods,” she says. …